Here’s what you need to know to keep students healthy as school starts back

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Back-to-school season is exciting but it can also be daunting getting everything ready to start back. Medical professionals gave some tips on what steps parents can take in the summer to help set their children up for a health, and successful, new school year.

Dr. Kre Johnson with Brownstone Healthcare said healthy habits before the first day of school can improve attendance, learning and emotional well-being.

“A rested child is a well-learned child, is a more emotionally regulated child,” Johnson said. “A child that can sit through the day is going to minimize the calls parents may be getting during the day.”

Johnson encouraged parents to begin adjusting their children’s sleep schedules during the end of summer break instead of waiting until school starts.

“You want to start backing them into 30 minutes every two to three nights to try to back them into their bedtime,” Johnson said. “You just want to ease them into their nighttime bedtime slot. But we want to make them wake up at the time they are supposed to be waking up every single day.”

Health experts also stress the importance of preventing illness once students return to school.

Sandy Morris, the nurse at Jonesboro Elementary School, said parents should talk with their children about proper hygiene and encourage frequent hand cleaning throughout the day.

“Babies like hand sanitizers,” Morris said. “Buy some that will clip onto their lunch box or their backpacks. Remind them that’s to be used after using the restroom, before lunch, during snacks.”

Morris also encouraged parents to teach children to tell an adult when they do not feel well. She said school nurses can help manage medications during the school day, including pain medication for students with braces, as long as parents complete the required paperwork.

“Take that paperwork to your orthodontist, have them sign it, then you bring in a new unopened bottle,” Morris said. “Whatever your doctor writes, they are good for the whole school year. Let your baby know when your teeth are hurting, go see your school nurse and she will get you your medicine.”

Morris also reminded parents to check their children’s immunization records before the first day of school. Students who do not have the required vaccinations up to date may not be allowed to begin the school year.

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